Low Carb Diets Articles and Advice. People often think about starting a low carb diet because theyve either heard that its a fast way to lose weight or have fallen prey to the idea that carbs are bad. In many cases, people may not even know what carbs are and assume them to be synonymous with starchy food. Low carb diets have their benefits. They can be a great way to lose weight, and they can also address serious health concerns and help us live healthier, more informed lifestyles. You might say But I thought it was bad to cut out a food group. That certainly can be problematic if youre not careful about what you do eat. But a low carb diet can certainly fulfill all of your nutrient requirements if you choose foods wisely. Understanding Carbohydrates. Fudge Cookies. Low Calorie Diets' title='Low Calorie Diets' />Very lowcalorie diets used to help obese, severely obese patients lose weight VLCDs allow 500 to 800 calories a day, prompt the body to burn stored fat. In our body conscious society, it is not unusual to hear people refuse bread, pasta, and potatoes because they need to watch their carbs. This is not just an oversimplification of science it fails to capture what a low carb diet is really about. And while, yes, starchy foods like bread, pasta, and potatoes are carbohydrates, not all carbohydrates are starch. A quick refresher on human biology and nutrition can explain. Find out whether a very low calorie diet can help you achieve a healthy weight, and how to use one safely. Negative calorie foods, which burn more fat and calories than they contribute, are a myth. But these lowcalorie foods and easy recipes can lead to. Find healthy, delicious lowcalorie recipes including lowcalorie breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell. The Low Carb Grocery Store offers healthy, low carb, low calorie gluten free foods, including pita breads, tortillas wraps, pasta noodles, syrups sauces, snack. Carbohydrates are a type of nutrient made up of simple sugars monosaccharides that bind together to form complex molecules. Depending on how the sugars are combined, they might create disaccharides double sugars like lactose and sucrose, oligosaccharides short chain sugars called glycoproteins and glycolipids, and polysaccharides long chain sugars, like starch and cellulose. When you eat carbohydrates like starch or sugar, your body will convert them into glucose for fuel. Some carbohydrate rich foods are broken down quicker than others and, in doing so, cause a sudden spike in blood sugar. We measure these spikes using a system called the glycemic index GI. The simple fact is that many of us eat more carbohydrates than our bodies can handle. We can see this with diabetics who eat too much of a certain food and lose control of their blood sugar. The aim of a low carb diet, therefore, is to reduce the consumption of carbohydrates to keep our GI in check, while maintaining good nutrition and achieving sustainable weight loss. However, that doesnt suggest the total elimination of carbs. Carbohydrates are important to your health without them, youd be hard pressed to function. A low carb diet simply infers that you maintain the ideal intake to keep your body operating smoothly with any ups and downs that come with excess. Are Low Carb Diets Good for Everyone Virtually everyone can benefit from not eating too much sugar. Major health organizations are now telling us to limit the added sugars we eat to several teaspoons per day learn more about these recommendations, and how quickly added sugars in our diet can add up. The extent to which people will benefit from greater carbohydrate reduction has to do with how well our individual bodies handle carbohydrate, as sugars and starches in our food all end up as sugars in our bodies. The science is clear that people with a related cluster of issues including insulin resistance, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome are more likely to benefit from low carb diets than from other dietary approaches. Its worth pointing out that most people with these conditions do not know it. This also includes people with so called normal weight obesity. People who dont have these issues probably have more leeway in their dietary approaches for weight loss and improved health. If you are taking medication to lower blood glucose or blood pressure, check with your doctor before starting a low carb way of eating, as the dose you are taking may need to be adjusted. Low Carb Plans. There is no one low carb diet. The term is a broad one encompassing many popular diet books, as well as eating plans that dont follow a rigid format. The one thing they share in common is the elimination of most sugars and many starches. Low carb diets may also be referred to as reduced carbohydrate or low glycemic diets. When you read about low carbohydrate diets, low carb is defined in many different ways, from slightly less carbohydrate than is generally recommended all the way down to very low amounts of carbohydrate per day. That said, there are three general approaches to a lower carb way of eating Just Reduce Carbohydrate You can choose to use a low carb food pyramid as a guide. This allows you to put together meals based on a balanced diet of low carb vegetables, low sugar fruits, healthy fats, and ample proteins ideally under 3. Find the Best Amount of Carbohydrate for You Each of us has a different degree of carbohydrate tolerance more on this below, and some plans are centered around determining what that is and adjusting your diet accordingly. This includes the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, and the Paleo Diet. Seek a Ketogenic Diet One of the more popular plans is a ketogenic diet, a very low carb diet that causes the body to use fat for energy rather than glucose. This puts the body into a state referred to as keto adaptation, in which the burning of fat can increase stamina and vitality. What Would I Eat Plan specifics aside, most low carb diets include lots of non starchy vegetables meats andor eggs, and other sources of protein low sugar fruits such as berries dairy foods such as cheese and yogurt nuts and seeds and foods with healthy fats. Note, also, that it is absolutely possible to follow a low carb vegetarian diet. There are also some nice extras available to complement these foods, such as low carb tortillas and low carb condiments. You might be surprised at the wide variety of meals that can be put together with low carb ingredients, even including baked goods and desserts. Explore some of our low carb recipes, grocery list must haves, and pantry essentials. Once you are eating the right amount of carbohydrate for you, your appetite should reset and you wont be as hungry. You should eat when youre hungry and until you are satisfied, dining on foods that are allowed on plan you select. But remember Just because a food is allowed doesnt mean its a good idea to overeat it. Cheese is a good example. Getting Started. First, particularly if you are managing a health condition, its wise to involve your healthcare team in your decision to go low carb, so they can sign off on whether or not a low carb eating plan is appropriate for you, monitor how your carb intake is affecting your overall health, and provide guidance along the way. When embarking on a low carb diet, start by making incremental changes, focusing on the unhealthy carbs you know you shouldnt have. Choose one or two foods at a time. Youd be surprised how much improvement can be achieved by making a few, small tweaks. Avoid added sugars and other refined carbohydrates. The no white food rule, which involves the elimination of sugar, white flour, white rice, and potatoes from the diet, is also a good place to start. One especially easy fix is passing on all sugary drinks, which have little nutritional value and can trigger weight gain despite being low on the glycemic index. Know Your Limits. Each of us has a different degree of carbohydrate tolerance. As we age, that tolerance tends to decline, which can result in rollercoastering blood sugar levels, particularly if we keep with the same high carb diets. In some cases, a person may develop insulin resistance or creep closer to pre diabetes. Plans that seek to help you find your optimal carbohydrate level usually advise reducing carbohydrate to a fairly low level and then gradually adding carbohydrate back until some or all of the following occur Cessation of weight loss. Weight gain. The return of carb cravings. Less ability to control your blood glucose. Poor concentration or low energy. Blood tests that reveal that your triglycerides have risen. High blood pressure.